Author: Tim Newey

We will try and list the results of all Northern California race car drivers in National and Regional series the following week. If anyone knows of anyone that is not included just email me at: tnewey@norcalcarculture.com.

It was a good week for NorCal race car drivers as Jeff Gordon, originally from Vallejo, won the Subway Fresh Fit 500 in Phoenix and is now 5th in the points standings. A.J. Almendinger of Los Gatos finished 9th and is now 3rd in points for the first time in his career.

In the truck series, Tulare native Matt Crafton got a 7th place finish and is now the points leader in the Camping World Truck Series.

The Nascar K&N Pro Series West also ran at Phoenix this weekend and Derek Thorn of Lakeport came in 3rd and is in third place in the points as this was Race #1 of 14. Jim Inglebright from Fairfield finished 6th, which was the only other top ten finish among 13 Northern California drivers in the race. Race #2 will be Saturday, April 16 at All American Speedway in Roseville.

Car #	First Name	Last Name	Hometown	Started	Finished	Point Standings	Total Pts.
Nascar Sprint Cup Series – Subway Fresh Fit 500
43	A.J.	Almendinger	Los Gatos	15	9	3	69
24	Jeff	Gordon	Vallejo	20	1	5	65
32	Mike	Skinner	Susanville	36	24
Nascar Nationwide Series – Bashas’ Supermarkets 200
27	Justin	Marks	Rocklin	36	40
Nascar Camping World Truck Series – Lucas Oil 150
50	T.J.	Bell	Sparks, NV			35	13
88	Matt	Crafton	Tulare	6	7	1	71
66	Justin	Marks	Rocklin	27	18	17	46
45	Mike	Skinner	Susanville	36	24	31	20
32	Brad	Sweet	Grass Valley	21	11	11	56
Nascar K&N Pro Series West – 3 Amigos Organic Blanco 100
3	Wes	Banks	Oakdale	30	34	34	61
88	Troy	Ermish	Fremont	32	21	21	100
15	Justin	Funkhouser	Paradise	31	29	29	76
20	Eric	Holmes	Escalon	25	14	14	121
1	Jim	Inglebright	Fairfield	15	6	6	150
5	Thomas	Martin	Auburn	26	20	20	103
38	Ryan	Philpott	Tracy	20	23	23	94
1	Greg	Rayl	Salida	34	28	28	79
55	Jack	Sellers	Sacramento	36	26	26	85
65	Stan	Silva Jr.	Castroville	14	30	30	73
13	Todd	Souza	Watsonville	24	16	16	115
44	Derek	Thorn	Lakeport	5	3	3	165
51	Carlos	Vieira	Atwater	22	18	18	109

 

Last weekend was a rough one for veteran race car driver and 1995 Nascar Camping World Truck Series Champion, Mike Skinner from Susanville, California. According to Eddie Sharp Racing:
“After an unfortunate turn of events at Daytona International Speedway, Mike Skinner missed the race at the famed 2.5-mile speedway. A string of problems started on the first day of Wednesday for the No. 45 Cushman / Paytas Homes Toyota Tundra when the starter shorted out and caused problems throughout the entire truck, including a minor fire. The team worked hard to restore the damage to the Tundra but struggled to find speed during the final practice. Troubles continued for the team when the No. 45 did not have a fast enough time to qualify for the event. Although Skinner is a past NCWTS champion (1995), a glitch in the paperwork disqualified the usage of the past-champion provisional, as Skinner was a last-minute addition to the team.”

Skinner hopes his luck will be better this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. If all goes well, he will be racing in the Nascar Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series races. He hopes to qualify for the truck race in his #45 Toyota Tundra sponsored by Cushman and Paytas Homes. If he is successful, it will be his 230th start in the NCWTS race. Mike Skinner has a great record in the Truck Series at the Phoenix Raceway. In 11 starts, he has 2 wins, 6 top-fives and 10 top-10s.

Mike Skinner on going to Phoenix International Raceway;
“If you look back in history, you can tell that I must like Phoenix International Raceway, or the track certainly likes me. I’ve had a ton of success there and have run well in all three divisions. I’ve had some victories in the NCWTS at PIR, and I love Phoenix and I cannot wait to get back. Last week at Daytona International Speedway was tough, but we are going to come back with the Eddie Sharp Racing team and honor our commitments to Cushman, Paytas Homes and Toyota. I think that we all learned a lot, and we are ready to go out to Arizona.”

Later, he will attempt to qualify for the Sprint Cup race driving the #32 Ford Fusion for new team FAS Lane Racing. FAS Lane is owned by veteran crew chief Frank Stoddard who won 14 races with Jeff Burton at Roush Racing. This will be the 262nd Sprint Cup Series start for Skinner. After a 15th place finish at Daytona with 2-time Series Champion Terry Labonte, the FAS Lane team was able to secure sponsorship from Gainey Suites Hotels.

The Lucas Oil 150 Truck Series qualifying can be seen live on SPEED at 2 pm and the race at 5pm on Friday, February 25, 2011. Qualifying for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 Sprint Cup race will be broadcast Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 12:30 pm on SPEED and the race is on FOX on Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

You can check on Mike’s progress on the track this weekend at: www.facebook.com/TeamESR or http://twitter.com/#!/TeamESR.